"Dowry is an important cultural practice among Gypsy networks of contemporary Brazil. Members of the majority society often view it as "outdated" or "foreign", although the practice was once prevalent also among non-Ciganos and had legal implications: since only the sons of a family could inherit property, dowry functioned as a financial compensation for daughters. However, the institution has a different meaning among Ciganos. Dowry serves as an expression of parallel modalities of prestige, power, purity and protection."

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